We started from there at 9.10; at 9.45 made a mile and a quarter north by east down the left bank of the O'Shanassy River; at 9.55 made a mile and a quarter north-north-west to opposite junction of a watercourse which I have named the Seymour River; at 10.12 made three-quarters of a mile north-west to where we crossed a small creek with reeds in its bed at a point near its junction with the river; at 10.37 made one mile north-west by north along the left bank of the river, where we had a good road. The river is still confined by ranges which sometimes terminate with cliffs; at 10.48 made half a mile north-east to opposite junction of the creek; at 10.54 made a quarter of a mile north-east to where we crossed a small creek near its junction with the river; at 11.27 made one mile and a quarter north by east along the left bank of the river; at 11.42 made half a mile north; at 12 made three-quarters of a mile north-north-east to where we watered the horses and waited for Mr. Campbell. Started again at 12.30. At 12.53 made half a mile north-north-east. Made quarter mile north to where we waited to mount Mr. Campbell who was tired of walking. Started again at 1.3 p.m.; at 1.35 made a mile and a quarter north to opposite junction of creek from the east; at 2 made one mile west-north-west to where we formed our 32nd camp, on the left bank of the river and right bank of a gully just above the junction of a small creek with the river. If this had been a good season a fine place for the horses would have been up this gully, as the soil is good with right kind of grasses and surrounded by basaltic cliffs.
Wednesday January 8. Camp 32. Situated (as before) on the left bank of the O'Shanassy River.
Left here at 7.7; at 7.18 went half a mile north-north-west to a cleft hill on the left bank of the river; at 7.35 went three-quarters of a mile north; at 7.52 went half a mile north-east; at 8 went quarter of a mile east-north-east to where we got any quantity of figs from trees like the Moreton Bay fig but another variety. At 8.20 made half a mile north-east. This scrub is composed of Leichhardt, tea, fig, and cabbage-palm-trees, where we were delayed till 8.42 from having to pull one of the horses that had got into a boggy place out. Pandanus along the edge of the reaches of water. At 9.10 made half a mile north-north-east through the scrub; at 9.50 made one mile north by east through the scrub; at 10.5 made half a mile north-north-west which took us out of the scrub and to a fine reach of water; at 10.20 made half a mile north-north-east to where we crossed a small reedy creek near its junction with the river; at 10.35 made three-quarters of a mile north-north-east along the left side of the reach of water mentioned. I, accompanied by Fisherman, here made a deviation from the river. While Campbell and party proceeded down the river we went up a gully of the richest soil, but all the vegetation was withered from the dryness of the season. It, like the other gullies we saw afterwards, was surrounded by basaltic hills, which were again surrounded by basaltic columns composed of rocks of a more grotesque form than the columns which are common in a granite formation. The rocks were so rough that it was unpleasant to lean against them; and were very severe on the feet of the horses. These columns, with the bottle-trees in the foreground and the open flats and basaltic hills in the distance, had a picturesque appearance. When we had got three-quarters of a mile about north-west we started again to overtake our party. At 12.15 made one mile and a quarter north down a gully; at 12.23 made quarter of a mile north-east to where Fisherman and I thought we were on a flat of the Gregory River near its junction with the O'Shanassy; at 12.52 made one mile and a half east-north-east across the plains to the right of a range towards Smith's Range, on the right side of the O'Shanassy River and its junction with the Gregory River; at 1.9 made three-quarters of a mile north to the left bank of the O'Shanassy River, where we got the tracks of Campbell and party; at 1.45 made one mile and a half north-west to broad arrow before L marked tree, on the point formed by the junction of the Gregory with the O'Shanassy River, near which we found our party had formed their 33rd camp on the right bank of the Gregory River.
Thursday January 9. Camp Number 33. Situated between the junction of the Gregory and the O'Shanassy River.
We left here at 8 a.m.; at 8.15 made half a mile south-east to where we crossed O'Shanassy River to follow down the Gregory River; at 8.37 made three-quarters of a mile north. Then from the right bank of the river we went round a hill which terminated abruptly at it; at 8.45 made quarter of a mile east-north-east over stony ridges covered with triodia; at 8.53 made a quarter of a mile north-north-west over similar country; at 9.9 made half a mile north-west to the river; at 9.37 made one mile and a quarter north-east by east to where we crossed a small creek near its junction with the river; at 9.55 made three-quarters of a mile north-east by east to where the river is confined on both sides by ridges; those on the right side are isolated; at 10.45 made two miles and a quarter east half north and delayed till 10.55; at 11.15 made three-quarters of a mile east to a hill which rises abruptly from right side of river; at 11.26 made quarter of a mile south-east back from the river; at 11.45 made three-quarters of a mile east-north-east to where we crossed a small creek near its junction to the right side of the river; at 12.10 made one mile north-east to a patch of good soil with good grass, but old and withered. At 1.5 made two miles and three-quarters over flats and ridges, the former of good soil but the grass burnt up from the dryness of the season, the latter stony and badly grassed, to a gap with an isolated hill on the north-west and two on the north-east side; at 1.22 made three-quarters of a mile north to where we delayed at the river to water the horses till 1.48; at 2.37 made two miles and a quarter east over fine rich country, the grass of which was just beginning to show life in consequence of recent rains; at 3 made one mile north-north-east to the right bank of the river where we intended to camp, but were obliged to go further as the horses could not water from the steepness of the banks. At 3.20 made one mile north-east and encamped where there is a rapid stream of water about two feet deep below the reach I have mentioned.
Friday January 10. Camp Number 34, situated on the right bank near where there is a good crossing place.
Mr. Allison at one o'clock this morning made an observation of Pollux from an artificial horizon, which made its altitude 85 degrees 36 minutes. At 8.45 made one mile east-north-east over poor stony ridges and light loamy flats, in which the tombung fruit-trees were plentiful, also the following trees: bauhinia, broad-leaved box, broad-leaved Moreton Bay ash, sweet-smelling jessamine, and bloodwood. The flats have got good grasses and marjoram. The river has here isolated hills on its banks, with ranges a mile or so back; at 8.55 made half a mile north-east by east to river about 150 yards wide with high flood-marks, which I have named the Ligar after the Surveyor-General of Victoria; at 9.6 made half a mile east-north-east down the Ligar River to where we crossed it above an isolated hill, where it was dry; at 9.30 made one mile north-east by east to bluff rocky hill where the flood-marks are about 30 feet high, west-north-west side; at 9.52 made one mile north-east along a range with a bluff termination; at 10.35 made two miles and a quarter east-north-east in sight of the high trees of the river; at 11 made one mile east-north-east to the mount, on the west side of which, at the Gregory River, we watered our horses and started again at 11.15; at 12.8 made two miles and a half north-east by east half east to west side of a range; at 12.35 made one mile and a half north-east to Heales Creek and gap in Primer Range; at 12.55 made three-quarters of a mile north-east down the creek to the last hill coming down and the first going up the river (I have named it Mount Heales after the premier of Victoria). It was about one mile to the eastward of our course; at 1.5 made half a mile north-north-east from left bank of Heales Creek; at 1.26 made three-quarters of a mile north to Gregory River; at 1.30 made a quarter of a mile north down the river and encamped.
Saturday January 11. Camp Number 35, situated north-west half north from Mount Heales, on Premier Range, on the right bank of the Gregory.
We left here at 7.3 a.m. At 7.20 made three-quarters of a mile north, which course keeps the tall trees of the river in sight; at 7.30 made half a mile north; at 7.42 made half a mile north-east, which course still keeps the tall trees of the river in sight; at 7.48 made a quarter of a mile north-east by north to the edge of a rich plain of the Gregory River; at 8.4 made half a mile north along the west side of plain; at 8.30 made one mile and a quarter north by east; at 8.40 made a quarter of a mile north-north-east; at 9 made three-quarters of a mile north by east, still keeping in sight of the tall trees on the river; at 9.24 made one mile north by east; at 9.58 made one mile and a half north; at 10.15 made one mile north-east; at 10.27 made half a mile north-east by north; over rich country, now beautifully grassed, slightly timbered along the river and watercourses with bauhinia, broad-leaved stunted box, broad-leaved Moreton Bay ash, bloodwood, acacia (which gives a gum like gum arabic, and is plentiful near the depot) pomegranate, and other trees; at 11 made one mile and a half north-east to the river, where we stopped for Mr. Allison to get an observation of the sun. A short distance to the eastward observed apparent altitude of sun, which made our latitude 18 degrees 34 minutes 30 seconds. Started again at 2 p.m. At 2.15 made half a mile north by east; at 3 made two miles north-east by north; at 3.30 made one mile and a half north by east; at 3.55 made one mile north-east by north half north; at 4.13 made one mile north; at 4.30 made half a mile north-north-east; at 5.2 made one mile north by east; at 6.2 made two miles and a half north-north-east. By these courses we cut off the bends of the river excepting towards the last when we got too far away from it and required to make for it again. The country we went over was from the greenness and length of the grass the finest-looking country we have seen on the expedition; but I think the Barkly tableland is superior to it from its having more salty herbage. The timber is of a similar description to that I have recently mentioned except that the box was stunted (narrow-leaved instead of broad). Having reached water in an eastern channel of the river we formed our thirty-sixth camp on the right bank of it.
Monday January 13. Camp Number 36, situated on the right bank of the eastern channel of Beames Brook.